Car-track cleaner



(No Model.)

J. G. HOLDEN & J. E. 00E.

GAR TRAOK GLEANER.

Patented Ma.y 6,.1884.'

UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE.

JOHN 'GLIDDEN HOLDEN AND JAMES EVERETT E, OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS.

CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.298,088, dated May 6, 1884.

' Application filed February 6, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN GLIDDEN HoL- DEN and JAMES E. 00E, both of Danville, in

combination of parts, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in

which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our new and improved track-cleaner. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view thereof; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of one of the. scrapers, taken on the line or a: of Fig. 2.

The frame of the cleaner in this instance is composed of the bars a, a, and a and the scrapers B B, which scrapers are by preference made of wood, and shod at their lower edges with the steel plates 12, and are attached in oblique position to the bars a a a the forward ends of the scrapers being a less distance apart than the rails R R, and the rear ends a greater distance apart than the said rails, so that the scrapers may'run upon the rails, as shown in Fig. 1. To the bar a? are secured the handles 0 O, by which the cleaner may be placed upon and guided upon the track, and between the bars a a is secured the heavy bar d, to which the tongue D of the cleaner is secured and braced by the brace-rods E E. (Shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.) The tongue D carries the ordinary whiffletrees, F, for attaching the team to the cleaner.

In action the cleaner will be placed upon the track, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and drawn along the track, and while being drawn along the track will be guided by a person at the handles G C, so that the steel shoes or plates b b will run fairly upon the heads of the rails. The shoes or plate b,being narrow and of metal, will effectually scrape the snow, ice, and mud from the rails, and the scrapers B B, being set 0bliqucly,will convey the mud, snow, ice, &c., to the sides of the track.

It is designed to use our new cleaner after an ordinary snow-plow has been passed over the track.

Instead of making the scrapersBof wood and providing them with the plates b b, they might be made entirely of metal; but the described plan is preferred, since the wooden scrapers are much lighter than the ironwould be, and the plates 12, when they become worn, may be renewed and new ones supplied at small cost; and, furthermore, the plates b are made thin and sharp, so that they will effectually remove all snow and ice from the rails.

We are aware that the scrapers of snowplows have been provided on their edgeswith metal plates; also, that they have been brought together at their forward ends to form a point; also, that these plows have been made to automatically dump their contents, and, also, that they have been provided with a tongue and handles.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the inward-inclined scrapers B B, separated at their forward endsby a wide space, and provided with plates b b,

projecting below the scrapers and bentaround the forward ends thereof, with the connecting bars a a a and the'bar d and tongue D, the bar a being provided with handles 0, substantially as set forth.

' Witnesses:

JOHN B. SAMUEL, THOMAS BROWN. 

